Ross Perot on Education 1992 & 1996 Reform Party Nominee for President

Teachers are poorly paid; more special compensation

The governor asked Perot to serve as chairman of the Select Committee on Public Education (SCOPE). The governor had no idea that the so-called camel's nose he let under the tent would raise such a storm.

Using his own money, Perot brought in experts on education. "World-class people," he says. "I wanted to know where we were headed." Perot's specialists found that teachers were poorly paid and needed a lot more special compensation.

No high school football unless passing grades

"Extracurricular activities are about the only place in the public school system where we demand excellence from our children. I thought I was living pretty well until I found out that high school football players have towel warmers."

The howl of pain for the alumni, the fans, the coaches, and the ex-coaches rang from one end of the state to the other. Perot, meanwhile, in his piccolo-piper voice, lobbied for a bill that would prevent students from participating in after-school sports unless they had passing grades. He rallied the business community and politicians for a school reform package. And he won.

Expand school year from 180 days to at least 210

Investing in education results in high living standards

The US is ahead of all other nations in higher education, though the gap is narrowing. But in elementary and high school education, we are lagging. No matter who is elected, one trend is not going to change: The demand for unskilled labor is declining. Yet too many young people leave school untrained, although few of them are untrainable.

We need to be more creative, and we need to draw greater numbers of parents into the education process. And when we encounter parents who lack basic literacy or are severely limited, we should seize the opportunity to train them so the problem is not compounded.

End adult illiteracy

Compounding the adult illiteracy crisis is the knowledge that children in a home where the parents cannot read and write are likely to perform poorly in school, and many will become high school dropouts. And adults who have extremely limited skills are more likely to be unemployed. A hopeful sign is the discovery that a few third-world nations have been able to improve their adult illiteracy rates dramatically within just a few years. There is nothing to prevent the US from doing the same. We can wait no longer.

Test students more; “no pass, no play”

One state senator concluded, “‘No pass, no play’ didn’t work like intended, since students took easy courses to ensure they didn’t fail, instead of challenging themselves with more productive classes.”

Smaller classes; longer days; merit pay

On this new crusade Perot did not spend his time speaking with teachers and students. Instead, he hired consultants, decided what he thought was best for Texas education, and then went to the business community and citizens' groups to sell his plan. The proposals included keeping classes from kindergarten through the 4th grade to no larger than 15 children and reducing the average class size in other grades from 31 to 22 students; starting prekindergarten services for children from disadvantaged families; having schools stay open from 7 AM to 6 PM for on-site day care; initiating merit pay for good teachers; and developing achievement tests for students.

Literacy & competency testing for teachers

Teachers and school administrators criticized Perot's bill as expensive & ineffective. In 1984, Perot got his House Resolution 72, a sweeping package that he claimed would revolutionize the state's education system. Despite Perot's hyperbole, the results were not dramatic--8 years later, when he ran for president, Texas had only moved up one notch, to 43rd among the states. Perot blames the way the laws were implemented. He says, "My job was to put in the law. That doesn't mean anything. Implementing them is what counts. They didn't execute it the way they should have. I had no involvement after the law was passed."

More money into same system produces more of same failures

I’ve been personally involved in education for years. I know the territory. In 1983, I headed a committee to overhaul the Texas public school system to improve results. Against fierce opposition from entrenched interests, we were able to make considerable headway. I know it can be done. From the perspective of those years spent on the front lines, I see the major causes of our educational failure to be these:
• We don’t have good preschool training.
• Parents aren’t thought of as consumers.
• Schools are bogged down in bureaucracy.
• We don’t have national standards. We don’t hold schools accountable for their product.
• We don’t reward students and teachers for success.
• We haven’t made learning the first priority.
• Our schools aren’t organized to meet society’s needs.

More pre-school, more standards, more teacher respect

Today there are programs that have proven successful in regions all over the country. Washington’s role should be to establish the means of measuring results and to encourage the spread of successful programs throughout the country. Here are the specifics I recommend:
1. Establish comprehensive preschool programs. $1 spent on preschool will save at least $5 down the line.
2. Spend federal dollars to spread programs that work.
3. Empower parents. Our system is upside down. The producers have all the power. The customers-the parents-have very little power.
4. Restore local autonomy with accountability. Our local schools are hamstrung with bureaucratic orders from on high.
5. Establish national standards and measure results.
6. Make learning the first priority.
7. Treat teachers as respected professionals.
8. Make better use of school buildings. School districts should be encouraged to stretch their school year, and we should draw adults into the learning center of the community.

Create world’s finest public schools

The goals of United We Stand America include:
• To get our economy moving and put our people back to work.
• To balance the budget.
• To pay off our nation’s debts.
• To build an efficient and cost-effective health care system.
• To make our neighborhoods and streets safe from crime and violence.
• To create the finest public schools in the world for our children.
• To pass on the American Dream to our children, making whatever fair shared sacrifices are necessary.